A supracondylar humeral fracture refers to a break just above the elbow at the bottom end of the humerus (upper arm bone). As many as 60 per cent of all elbow fractures in children occur at this location. This can be a serious fracture if the break has separated (displaced fracture) and the jagged edges of bone have cut a blood vessel or nerve.
If that’s the case, then surgery is performed immediately. But most of the time, the bones can be reduced using traction to pull the bones apart and reset them. Using X-rays to show the bones are in proper alignment, the surgeon will then use pins to hold them in place until healing takes place.
This procedure is called closed reduction and internal fixation. The pins are inserted percutaneously (through the skin) and can be removed easily after bone healing has occurred. If an open incision is needed to repair the damage, then the operation is referred to as an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).
The results of this kind of surgical management are usually quite good. There can be complications with any surgery — from the anesthesia, from infections, poor wound healing, or delayed fracture healing. But studies show that even when treatment (pinning) is delayed, final outcomes are good to excellent without problems or complications in the majority of children.